MORE than 40 schools and other educational establishments across North Yorkshire have confirmed cases of coronavirus recently.

During a North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum (NYLRF) Covid-19 media briefing, Stuart Carlton, corporate director of children and young people’s services at North Yorkshire County Council, said, as of today, they are working with 44 establishments.

The number has increased by 13 since last week, when he said they were supporting 31 establishments.

He said these establishments tend to have just one pupil or one member of staff who have tested positive for Covid-19, although there are some larger numbers in some places.

"Most of our actions around those are predominantly around close contact isolation rather than the closing of classes, bubbles or schools," Mr Carlton said.

"The number of schools closed remains incredibly low. It was one last week, and it remains one this week, it's a different school."

Carlton-in-Snaith Community Primary School, in Carlton, near Selby, was closed last week after a coronavirus outbreak and reopened on Monday (September 28).

Mr Carlton added: "My message remains schools are very safe, action is taken very swiftly and parents should have huge confidence in sending their children to school and they are safe places to be and children definitely need their education."

The overall rates of attendance across North Yorkshire remain high, he said.